Dolphin Roundabout Demolition Sparks Anger Amongst Locals In Pattaya

The people of Pattaya have aired their anger at the Pattaya authorities over their antics and various meetings to discuss the dismantling of the famed Dolphin Roundabout.

What has angered the Thais is the fact they held yet another meeting in a hotel, which many see as a waste of public money. Some citizens took to social media to ask why they cannot hold the meetings in one of the many council rooms at City Hall?

Another comment was "this is just another excuse to hold an expensive outing", whilst others called for the entire council to be sacked and the contentious plan to demolish one of the city's favourite landmarks to be scrapped.

Many people took to the internet to complain, using online petitions in a bid to save the feature in the north of the city.

A spokesmen for the council said last week that they did not need public support when it came to the demolition of the roundabout and that there was no need to ask for their opinion, a statement which riled many people.

The council claim that the roundabout is outdated and not suitable for the amount of traffic passing through the area. In 1995, when it was constructed, it was fit for purpose but now it cannot handle the volume of cars. They plan to replace it with traffic lights.

But this has met with a furore of public disharmony, as locals demand that they leave the attraction alone.

The online comments have been straight to the point, with many asking the same question "Why don't you ask the public what they want?"

Again a spokesperson said this is not on the agenda sparking retaliation from people asking "Why do you require all these meetings then?"

There is of course a solution and that is to move the dolphins to another location, where locals and tourist can still enjoy the structure but it will not interfere with traffic flow.

However, this debate does not look like it will end any time soon. The council have angered the people and they will not back down easily.

Source: Thai Visa Content: TPVS